Running Stitch Podcast – Season Four

Running Stitch, A QSOS Podcast, is hosted by Janneken Smucker, Professor of History at West Chester University. Join us as we explore quilt stories, revealing the inner thoughts, feelings, and motivations of contemporary quiltmakers by drawing from Quilters S.O.S. — Save Our Stories, the long running oral history project created by the nonprofit Quilt Alliance in 1999.

Quilts and quiltmaking serve as a lens to examine some of today’s most pressing issues, including activism, public health, politics, race, and the economy. We’ll dig into the QSOS archive to listen to excerpts from past interviews, and bring back interviewees to ask them about what they are working on and thinking about presently. Listen below, or wherever you get your podcasts!

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Season 4:

Season 4, Episode 1: The Industrial Revolution with Rachel Maines

Episode summary

We’re kicking off a new season of Running Stitch, focused on the intersections of technology and quiltmaking. But it’s not just about computers and digital sewing machines! In this episode we’re going back to the roots of quilt making to discover how our nostalgic ideas about quiltmaking as a pre-industrial craft is just that: nostalgia. In fact, quilting as we know it exists because of the Industrial Revolution.

About our guest

Our guest is Dr. Rachel Maines, a visiting scientist in the Cornell University School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and a seminar associate at Columbia University. Along with her many articles on needlework and textiles, she is the author of The Technology of Orgasm: Hysteria, the Vibrator, and Women’s Sexual Satisfaction and Hedonizing Technologies: Pathways to Pleasure in Hobbies and Leisure.

Season 4, Episode 2: Electric Quilt with Penny McMorris

Episode summary

We’re back with our second episode of Season 4! We’re continuing our focus on the intersection of technology and quiltmaking, but this time, we’re going digital. We’re exploring the backstory and invention of Electric Quilt, the leading quilt design software. Join us for a conversation with Penny McMorris, co-founder of The Electric Quilt Company, and a key player of the late twentieth century’s quilt revival. We’ll hear how Penny and her husband Dean Neumann created Electric Quilt software, hear snippets from quilters across the decades about how they use EQ to design their quilts, and reflect on Penny’s quilting journey.

About our guest

Our guest is Penny McMorris. Penny holds an MA Art History, produced and hosted the television series “Quilting” which aired on PBS and the BBC and “The Great American Quilt” for PBS. She authored “Crazy Quilts” (1984) and co-authored “The Art Quilt” ( 1986) with Michael Kile. She served as the corporate art curator for Owens Corning Corporation and is a partner in The Electric Quilt Company.

Season 4, Episode 3: The Rotary Cutter with Kristin Barrus

Episode summary

Other than the sewing machine, what tool has been the biggest innovation in quiltmaking? Yes, that’s right: in this episode of Running Stitch, we’re talking all about the rotary cutter.

Our guest is Kristin Barrus. Kristin’s work explores 21st century quiltmaking through the lenses of women’s studies, fan studies, and anthropology. We’ll talk with Kristin about the origins of the Modern Quilt movement, and she also shares with us the fascinating history of how quilters came to use–and love–the rotary cutter.

About our guest

Kristin is a PhD candidate at University of Leicester and a quiltmaker. Kristin has been making quilts for the past 20 years and co-founded and co-directed the Utah County Modern Quilt Group. Kristin also attended the graduate program in quilt studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her work explores 21st century quiltmaking through the lenses of women’s studies, fan studies, and anthropology.

Season 4, Episode 4: Algorithms and Design with Libs Elliott

Episode summary

In this episode of Running Stitch, host Janneken Smucker sits down with Canadian quilt artist Libs Elliott to explore how technology is reshaping the way we design and make quilts. Known for her use of generative code and bold geometric style, Libs shares how she blends programming with traditional quilt techniques like English paper piecing. They discuss the role of algorithms, the possibilities and pitfalls of AI, and how social media transformed her quilting journey. It’s a wide-ranging conversation about creativity, code, and the evolving tools of the quiltmaking trade.

About our guest

Elizabeth (Libs) Elliott is a textile artist and designer exploring the intersection of technology and traditional craft by using generative design to build handmade quilts. A deep appreciation for craftsmanship, design history and future-focused applications are all reflected in her work. She studied Material Art & Design at OCAD University and received a B.A. in Cultural Studies at Trent University. Her commissions include work for individuals and corporate clients such as Absolut Vodka. She has exhibited her work and done speaking engagements internationally. She designs fabric collections for Andover Fabrics, Inc. Her work has been covered by press such as Gizmodo.com, DesignMilk and Casa Vogue Brazil. She lives and works in Toronto, Canada. 

Season 4, Episode 5: Algorithms and Design with HollyAnne Knight

Coming soon!

Episode summary

In this episode of Running Stitch, host Janneken Smucker talks with quilt educator and entrepreneur Holly Anne Knight about how technology is transforming the way quilters learn, connect, and create. Drawing on a 2022 Textile Talks interview, they explore Holly Anne’s path from new mom making her first T-shirt quilt to founder of String & Story, a thriving online hub for free-motion and longarm quilting instruction. Alongside excerpts from the QSOS archive, they dig into long-standing tensions between hand and machine quilting, the importance of community—whether around a frame or on Zoom—and how quiltmakers navigate tradition, innovation, and the joy that keeps them stitching.

About our guest

HollyAnne Knight is a quilter and small business owner from Georgia. She is the founder of String and Story, which has grown from an online platform to a brick and mortar store, as well! 

String & Story’s mission is to guide quilters around the world to quilt with confidence via an online education platform that features our suite of signature courses: Free Motion Quilting Academy, Ruler Quilting Academy, Longarm Preparatory, and more! 

See our full interview with HollyAnne Knight via Textile Talks online here.